Airbus Pitch: New A350 Was Worth Wait

Effort Is Under Way to Catch Up
With Rival Boeing's Dreamliner Widebody

By

Daniel Michaels in Toulouse, France, and

J. Lynn Lunsford in Seattle

Updated Dec. 4, 2006 12:01 a.m. ET

Airbus beginning today confronts the daunting challenge of convincing customers that the months of delay in launching its planned A350 XWB long-haul jetliner have made it a better product.

Airbus's parent company, European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., late on Friday gave a green light to the A350 XWB project, and Airbus today is due to unveil details of the plane in Paris. The plane will compete with rival Boeing Co.'s 787...